Using Lean Six Sigma Thinking to "Win" on LinkedIn

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This article started with an email discussion by ASQ Philly leaders on promoting events in the section. The discussion took the left turn you see here.

I've been working to raise my profile on LinkedIn for a while now and have tried a number of methods to increase interactions, like, comments, and posts. Here's what I've found if you're trying to "win" on LinkedIn.

"Liking" a post isn't any benefit to the popularity of the post?Commenting on a post and having a number of back-and-forth discussions really boosts interest in the post.?Did anybody see my recent comments about the Red Bead Experiment (RBE post Jake Harrell started this week??If you saw it, it's because there were 109 comments on it with repeat comments from participants.?I walked through a client's plant yesterday holding a RBE kit and 2 people told me they saw the post.?Not that they left any evidence of even liking the post.??

If you're trying to boost your profile on LinkedIn, then you have to make some noise?Doesn't matter if you're trying to find a job, convince a client, or positioning yourself to be a subject matter expert on a topic.?Personally, I'm not impressed by people with long strings of letters in their name.?Actually, it makes me wonder who they're trying to convince.?Same thought occurs when people like their own posts.?YMMV - Your mileage may vary.?Do you have a profile picture??Is it any good? Take the time to capture a decent picture using the 4K powerhouse in your pocket.?Ask someone to help you.?Try to make the picture interesting.??Ask me if you need ideas.

I've been working LI for a while with articles, now a weekly newsletter, and posting regularly on certain topics.?Those topics were not opinions, rather information about webinars I'm involved in.?I've been making noise and I'm slowly getting connections and subscribers to the newsletter and the YouTube channel as well.?(BTW, have you seen the Online Muda Walk videos on my YT channel?)?As a result I have 1725 followers and "about 1600 connections" according to LinkedIn today.?Less than 3K followers is nothing in terms of raw numbers.?Other people have thousands more than that.?Why it's a meaningful number to me is that I'm discriminating in who I invite or accept as connections so people are inclined to follow my posts a little more when they know me somehow.??

However, I see people who have many more times that number of connections and followers.?Why??I finally figured out that some people with many connections rarely post original content at all.?What the "cool kids" do on LI is comment intelligently and thoughtfully on people's posts who have lots of followers.?They interact with others. I tried doing this a few weeks ago and, sure enough, I started seeing more people checking out my profile and following or connecting with me.?I also started reaching out to others who had interesting perspectives.?

As a result of my efforts, side conversations from fellow commenters are increasing in frequency.?This may be because I'll talk to almost anyone and explore areas of mutual opportunity.?As a result, I'm investigating virtual training worlds with one commenter, and new webinars and training ideas with another person.??

Do you want to increase your reach on LinkedIn and get more people to pay attention to your posts??Start doing all the things you're not doing now.??

a)?Have something to say?Post original content and use hashtags.?Don't just repeat the point of a post and think it's a comment.?Extend the point, provide a counterpoint, or say something meaningful about it.?Personal experience is always good.?Chime in on other people's comments and spark a discussion.??

b)?Engage with LinkedIn regularly?We all get busy.?LI is one of the sites that opens along with email and calendar when I start my browser.?Makes it easier to check a few times per day. Tag people in your posts and start to build the connections that the LI algorithm prizes. Their connections can become your connections if your content is interesting.

c)?Generate original content for stickiness?Articles on LinkedIn are a good example of easily searchable thought leadership.?I've gotten a lot of mileage from potential clients with articles like "How I Assess Your Operation" which is a standalone article about 10 things I look for when touring a facility.??I also write newsletter articles like this one on Frankenprocesses in organizations.?This newsletter article was published on Feb 5.??

Check the stats?Since being published a month ago, the Frankenprocess article has received 769 impressions and 404 article views.?I don't know if it's good or bad performance.?I believe it says that over 50% (~53%) of the people who saw the post actually took the time to interact with it, which relates to the quality of my connections.?The article has 3 comments from people not named Manny for a total of 6 comments. 10 people liked it.?It's one of my better posts in terms of likes and comments.??

Approximately three percent (3%) of the people that saw the post actually clicked a button indicating that they liked it.?The other 97% of people who read it just moved on, leaving no trace behind.?As a result of this and other noise-making activities, LI informed me that I appeared in 38 searches this week.?Don't know if that's good or bad, only that more people are looking than used to.??

d)?Leverage content for multiple posts?It's easy to take a piece of content, like a webinar, and cut it up into clips. You can write several articles on the topic discussed, which can get cut down into posts that address individual points.? Post all of it. Have a plan.

This is more a case of "do as I say, not as I do." However, when I saw that I had a lot to say on the topic of LI in the email, I leaned in, knowing I was writing my next newsletter topic.?Thanks for giving me the opportunity to eat my own cookin'.

e)?Really want to make some noise on LI??Use short video clips.?One of the reasons I became involved with monthly webinars for ASQ's Lean Enterprise Division - "LED" is because I knew nothing about editing video.?I knew I'd never learn video editing unless I had a reason.?Now, after a lot of learning I'm ready to start making the kind of videos I want.?

Other people on LinkedIn, like Paul Dunlop, post short clips on a single topic, like Gemba boards or 5S, regularly using a camera on a selfie-stick.?His approach is way faster for content creation and making some noise.?He gains style points for leveraging content as I'm assuming he is using larger clips elsewhere and cutting them down to post on LI.?Video has been way underutilized on LinkedIn.?Short and to the point are the key attributes of good video anywhere.

Need some more proof??Take a look at Janet Lentz and Rich Karpowicz or Rosa Melton for some local examples of people making noise on LI.?Do you see their posts??If so, then comment or repost.?Stir the pot a little and support your connections and section members.?You'll be glad you did.

Final Thoughts Building your profile on LinkedIn is like saving for retirement. The best time to start was 10 years ago. The next best time to start is today. Start throwing mud against the wall. See what sticks and start throwing more of that variety. Lather rinse and repeat for desired results. Like Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." Or did he?

Credits Section

Thanks to Cody Gallo for the picture of the Manhattan skyline

This article started with an email discussion by ASQ Philly leaders on how to promote events. The discussion took the left turn you see here.

Special thanks to Janet Lentz , Rich Karpowicz Sr., Ph.D. , Rosa Melton , Paul Dunlop , and Jake Harrell for providing examples of people making noise (See what I did there?)

??Links Section

CICS is holding?Live LSS Green Belt Training?in the Greater Philadelphia, PA starting April 20, 2023. Learn how we build practitioners with our hands-on learning approach. Reach out for more information today!

CICS YouTube Channel featuring Muda Walk videos for Online Lean Training. You saw it here first!?Subscribe today to stay informed!